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Chicago Spire
The Chicago Spire is a supertall skyscraper project (110 stories and 610 metres) at 400 N. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois that failed financially after beginning construction. When originally proposed as the Fordham Spire in July 2005, the design had 116 stories and would have included a hotel and condominiums and been topped with a broadcast antenna mast. The design was by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, and Chicago developer Christopher T. Carley of the Fordham Company was spearheading the project. On 16 March 2006, the initial design of the building passed unanimously during that day's meeting of the Chicago Plan Commission. Planning ]] The building was originally proposed as the Fordham Spire in July 2005; Chicago developer Christopher T. Carley of the Fordham Company was spearheading the project. It was to have had 116 stories and to include a hotel and condominiums and be topped by a tall broadcast antenna mast. On March 16, 2006, the initial design of the building passed unanimously during that day's meeting of the Chicago Plan Commission and on March 23, 2006, the same happened at the city's Zoning Committee meeting. On March 29, 2006, the Chicago city council also approved that design. As part of the approval process, the council passed a measure that raised the height limit on structures at the site to accommodate the design height. It would have become the second tallest building in the entire world, surpassed only by the Burj Khalifa. It would have also surpassed the CN Tower to become the tallest freestanding structure and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The building was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and was being developed by St Patrick's Athletic owner Garrett Kelleher of Shelbourne Development Group, Inc. There was widespread support for the original design of the building among both the residents of the immediate neighborhood and the city of Chicago as a whole, partly because the building would block less sunlight and obscure less of the skyline than the lower buildings for which the land was originally zoned. Chicago Mayor Daley said he approved of the design, stating that it was environmentally friendly. Burton F. Natarus, who was the 42nd-ward alderman when the building was announced, said: "This is a very unique opportunity for the city of Chicago. This building belongs to Chicago and should be in Chicago." Offices such as Microsoft, Allen & Glenhill, Mizuho, Barclays, American Express, Booking.com, Chicago Asset Management, M&A Environment, Wheelock Properties, Apple, Evernote, Google also have their offices here. Location The skyscraper was being constructed at 400 N. Lake Shore Drive, on Chicago's waterfront west of Navy Pier and northeast of the Loop, in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side community area. The site is at the junction of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, and is bordered by the Ogden Slip of the Chicago River to the north, North Lake Shore Drive to the east, the Chicago River to the south, and existing residential property to the west. The site was originally zoned for two 35- to 50-story buildings. Originally, it was to be sold by a joint venture of LR Development Company of Chicago and JER Partners of Virginia for $64 million to Christopher Carley of the Fordham Company. After numerous short-term extensions, and later Carley's failure to obtain financing, Kelleher of Shelbourne Development purchased the land instead and pledged to finance the rest of the project. prior to construction in 2007.]] DuSable Park When the project was first announced, the Fordham Company pledged almost $500,000 to assist in the development of the city's proposed DuSable Park, which would adjoin the property of the Chicago Spire. | DuSable Park would cover and a $11.4 million budget was planned for its renovation. On March 26, 2007, Shelbourne pledged to pay $6 million toward the development of the park, making up the deficit left over from the city's own initial pledge of $6 million and far exceeding the Fordham Co's initial offer. In May 2007 Shelbourne's pledge jumped to $9.6 million. Soil tests performed in December 2000 on the soil of the proposed park showed contamination of radioactive thorium. Thorium was used by the Lindsay Light Company, which operated a location nearby. After the closing of the location in the 1930s, contaminated soil was dumped on the location of the proposed park. In March 2003, the Chicago Park District stated that the thorium clean-up on that land was incomplete. Hazards of contamination can be avoided by laying a minimum of of concrete over any affected soil, an approach that would be more feasible for the site of the Chicago Spire than for the adjacent park. In 2012 the Chicago Park District received funding from the EPA for remediation of the site, bagging the radioactive soil and shipping it to a Superfund site. By Summer 2013 the Park District website reported the remediation had been completed by September 2012Retrieved 24 June 2013, from http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/Dusable-Park/ Architecture As with many of his designs, Calatrava was inspired by themes and designs in nature for the tall, twisting skyscraper. He likened the structure to an imaginary smoke spiral coming from a campfire near the Chicago River lit by Native Americans indigenous to the area, and also related the building's newly designed pinnacle to the "graceful" and "rotating forms" of a snail shell. Standing at , the Chicago Spire would have further transformed the always-growing Chicago skyline. Plans for the tower included 1,193 condominiums with each of the building's 150 stories rotated 2.4 degrees from the one below it for a total 360 degree rotation. In February 2008, prices for the condominiums were announced as ranging from $750,000 to $40 million USD. For supplemental structural support, each floor was to be surrounded by cantilevered corners and four concave sides. Similar to the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and John Hancock Center observation decks, the Chicago Spire design included a community room on the top floor offering residents a view of four U.S. states. The design for the soaring four story lobby of the skyscraper included translucent glass walls framed by arching, steel-reinforced concrete vaults. The building has been described as a giant "drill bit" by the public and others in the media have likened it to a "tall twisting tree" and a "blade of grass". The curved design offered two major benefits to the structure of the building. First, curved designs, such as that found in Calatrava's Turning Torso in Malmö, Sweden, tend to add to the strength of a structure. A similar principle has been used in the past with curved stadium roofs. In addition to structural support, the curved face of the exterior would minimize wind forces. In rectangular buildings, a fluid wind flow puts pressure on the windward face of the building; while air moves around it, a suction is applied to the leeward face. This often causes a sway in tall buildings usually counteracted, at least partially, by stiffening the structure or by using a dynamic wind damper. Since the curved design of the Chicago Spire would not completely negate wind forces, a tapering concrete core and twelve shear walls radiating from it were planned to counteract the remaining wind load. Additionally, the Chicago Spire was designed with world-class sustainable engineering practices to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold recognition. Sustainable features included recycled rainwater, river water used for cooling, ornithologically-sensitive glass to protect migratory birds, intelligent building and management systems, waste storage and recycling management, and monitored outdoor air delivery. Construction Following the city approval, it was announced that construction of the Chicago Spire was to begin in summer 2007, with caisson work scheduled to begin as early as June 2007. DuSable Park was designated as a staging area for the construction of the tower. The sales center for the Chicago Spire opened on January 14, 2008. On September 19, 2008, a spokeswoman for the developer announced that construction was continuing on the building, but that the pace of construction would be slowed until the financial markets recovered from the subprime mortgage crisis. Kelleher promised that he still had financial backing, although analysts questioned the ability of the project to survive the current economic decline. A contractor to build the building's superstructure had not yet been named. The October 1, 2008 edition of The Wall Street Journal said that the building foundation was complete and the above ground construction would not continue until the markets recover. Underground phase Crane parts and construction equipment arrived at the site on June 25, 2007. The following day Shelbourne Development officially announced the first construction contract. In preparation for construction, 34 concrete and steel caissons were drilled into bedrock underground; this was completed June 25, 2008. A cofferdam with a diameter and depth was installed to create a work environment and would have later acted as a foundation for the building's core. Utility upgrades were planned for the surrounding neighborhood. Images File:Lake Shore Drive.JPG|View of the site in 1963 File:Fordham Lot2.JPG| Months before construction on April 13, 2006 File:ChicagoSpireAug22,20071.JPG|Bedrock being drilled on August 22, 2007 File:ChicagoSpire from LakePointTower 1 12 08 closeup.JPG|Closeup of base excavation January 12, 2008 File:ChicagoSpire 05 25 08.jpg|May 25, 2008 File:WorkSite.JPG|The site as of July 2, 2010 See also *List of skyscrapers *List of tallest buildings in Chicago *List of tallest buildings in the United States *List of buildings with 100 floors or more *World's tallest structures References Notes Further reading *Keegan, E. (2005). Calatrava designing massive tower in Chicago. Architectural Record, 193, 29. *McKeoug, T. (2006). Artist at work: Santiago Calatrava. Azure, 22, 56–61. *Nobel, P. (2005). Onward and upward? Four years after 9/11 – at perhaps the peak of the real estate bubble – very tall has never been hotter. Metropolis, 25, 66–72. *Pridmore, J., & Larson, G.A. (2005) Chicago Architecture and Design : Revised and expanded. Harry N. Abrams, Inc.: New York. External links Category:Proposed skyscrapers in the United States Category:Unfinished buildings and structures in the United States Category:Residential skyscrapers in Chicago Category:Santiago Calatrava structures Category:Twisted buildings and structures Category:Residential condominiums in Chicago